As the College basketball season approaches, the first KenPom ratings were released. KenPom is a college basketball ranking algorithm that ranks all 362 Division I basketball programs on several different analytics.
The Cincinnati Bearcats start the preseason ranked at No. 36, good enough for 8th in the Big 12, finishing behind Houston, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Arizona, Baylor, BYU, and Kansas. The Bearcats started last season as No. 17, finishing No. 55. Their best finish under Wes Miller was in 2024 when the Bearcats finished at No. 39.
The Cincinnati Bearcats' offensive rating is No.74, and their defensive rating is No. 5 out of 362 schools.
As far as teams located around Cincinnati, they finish fourth out of eight. Behind Kentucky, Louisville, and Ohio State, and in front of Dayton, Miami (OH), and Northern Kentucky.
Some key matchup rankings in the non-conference schedule are Dayton (54), Louisville (14), Xavier (64), Georgia (44), and Clemson (32). The average ranking of the Bearcats' Big 12 schedule is 43.78, the 16th toughest in-conference schedule of any Power 4 school.
🏀 2026 initial KenPom Ratings are here and the Cincinnati Bearcats open at #36
— The Bearcat Bunch (@bearcatbunch) October 12, 2025
🔴 Last year UC started at #17 and ended at #55
⚫️ The highest finish here under HC Wes Miller was #39 in 2024 pic.twitter.com/V2prdD6PXD